I am going to take a mental health day this Thursday and spend some time in the junkyard instead of at work. I have found a 1990 D150 that has a 318/A500 combination. The junkyard is having a 50% off sale so I am going to try and get everything I need to swap the A500 into my 76 D100. I already have the special slant to v8 trans adapter.

This is the list of everything I think I might need off of the 1990 D150:

(1) transmission including torque converter
(2) rear trans mount
(3) driveshaft
(4) trans cooler lines
(5) radiator?
(6) small starter motor
(7) alternator?
(8) overdrive switch on dash and wiring

Can anyone think of anything else I might need to grab from the 1990 donor truck? Anything that would be a good idea to grab? Thanks.

No tranny part tips from me, but what you are getting ready to do sounds like a great idea swap.

You always do a nice job documenting the process, please do so here, your posts are great reads.

FWIIW, not tranny related, but I put a '90 ( or was it a '91) gauge cluster into my '83 D150, got me a 120 MPH speedo
trip odometer, volt meter, better gauge graphics, But I am sure that gauge cluster is not a direct swap into a 1976 D series.
I also swapped in the '90 fuel tank, its a big one, 28 gallons or so, was a bolt in to my short bed 83 'D150 also got me an in tank
electric fuel pump, nice if you want to go FI. But the fuel gauge resistance readings changed so the fuel level gauge probably is not compatable with
your '76 truck.

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Doo Ron Ron and the Duke of Earl are friends of mine.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX8Nj8ABEI8

Thanks. I don't know if I will actually be able to take a day off of work, though. I keep getting more work dumped on me at my job and bills come before pleasure. If I am able to go to the junkyard and actually get everything I need, I will take pictures and document how to mate an A500 to a 225 using the 60s factory adapter plate. I am happy I am doing it in a D series truck because I can use the factory rear trans mount from the donor truck.

Wasn't the speedo electronic by 90? Or am I thinking of vans?

I hadn't thought about the fuel tank, but I do plan on someday (maybe) converting my 76 D100 to fuel injection. An in-tank fuel pump would be a nice addition. Actually, even if I just used it to feed the carb it might be a good idea. I will have to see how much petty cash I have and what parts are still there and useable. This junkyard usually punches holes in the gas, tanks, too.

I will post a thread if I am able to pull this off. I will need to go through the A500 and get time to do the swap, so it might be a while.

Yes, the speedo is electronic. I am running mine via a VSS at the tranny. Same way the factory did.
I use the same VSS signal split to an aftermarket cruse control for the vehicle speed input. I got my ‘90 parts out of a mom and pop yard that did not hole out the fuel tank.

_________________
Doo Ron Ron and the Duke of Earl are friends of mine.....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX8Nj8ABEI8

I will grab the VSS sensor since I believe it is necessary to run some later FI systems.

I hope I can pull this off. The 727 in my truck is a power hog and the 3.9 rear gears are begging for an overdrive on the highway.

Reed, keep a thread going on this conversion. I have a 88 D-150 with a 5.9 4bbl and 727. It is a gas hog. I have been thinking of doing a A-518 conversion, as I have a trans in stock. Just need to get a couple other projects done first, then go through the trans, as I got it as a "core".

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 225 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170

Will do, Charlie.

I swapped an a518 behind a 360 in to my '85 D250. Very easy and it's straight forward. I made my own trans x member but if you find a factory one, get it. LA 360's and 360 magnums are not balanced the same. I used a 318 converter with a balanced for LA 360 sfi flexplate Cut the driveshaft 3.5 inches. You will have to hammer the trans tunnel a bit but no cutting. PATC has a kit to control OD and LU.

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1976 Feather Duster /6 4sp
1984 W100 318 727 np241
1972 'Cuda 340 4sp
1985 D250 360 46RH

Thanks.

Well, today turned out to be a bust at the junkyard, and it is all my fault. Normally, the easy way to tell if a vehicle has an A500 or an A518 is to look for the "OD" button on the dash. Well, the website for the junkyard said they had a 90 D150 with a 318 and "four speed automatic." When I got there, the dash was completely gone. A904s and A500 are identical from the front to the tailshaft housing, and I am not familiar enough with the A500 to be able to differentiate it from a 904 at a glance. So I spent all day in the junkyard pulling a transmission only to find out that it is a plain old A904, not an A500. I was pretty bummed.

The good news is that I found a Dakota with an A500, so I will go back tomorrow and try again.

The REALLY good news is that while I was working an old guy came up to me and paid me $20 to remove some trim from a Bronco for him. Then he paid me another $10 to pull some more. THEN he paid me $100 to haul it all up the front office for him in my homemade cart i brought to haul the transmission. So with the 50% discount at the yard tomorrow and the money I got paid by this guy, I might actually be able to score an A500 for free. Can't beat that with a stick.

So now I am scouring the internet for clear picutures of the A500 tailshaft housing so I can make sure I get the right one.

I took a pic of one under my work bench. It's an A500 from a 90 dodge Ram Van.

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ski

Thanks! Are you SURE that is an A500? It hought the A500s all had a deeper pan? Would you be willing to take pictures of the top, driver's side, and bottom of the tailshaft housing?

Now I am thinking that maybe the transmission I pulled WAS an A500. I though the A500 and A518 overdirve tailshaft housing had the snap ring access plate on the top of the housing and the 904 has it on the driver's side. Am I wrong?

The a500 is the one on the left in the pic. Pan is deeper and the od unit is very large at the front part of the tailshaft. The rear mount has 3 bolts and it is 3.5 in longer.

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1976 Feather Duster /6 4sp
1984 W100 318 727 np241
1972 'Cuda 340 4sp
1985 D250 360 46RH

Also make sure the electrical connector (not the nuetral safty switch) is a 3 prong plug. If it is round with about 8-10 wires, it is an re and will not work. You must get one with a hydraulic (rh) govenor not electroic one (re).

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1976 Feather Duster /6 4sp
1984 W100 318 727 np241
1972 'Cuda 340 4sp
1985 D250 360 46RH

Thanks! I will go back tomorrow and look more closely at the trans I pulled before I tear into the Dakota.

How's this?

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ski